Of Beads and White Shinning Teeth [Featured Artiste: Chudy]

I can hardly believe we are already in August.  This 2011 is going by very quickly (for me sha!)

Before I begin, I would like to first say “Thank You” to all those who follow and / or comment on this blog. I truly appreciate your support!

And, I would also like to say CONGRATULATIONS to a fellow blogger, Michael Onobote (@moifrequency) as he celebrates the FIRST year anniversary of his blog today. Please check out his blog when you can as he has interesting stuff to share.

And now for today’s post (*pushes glasses further back against her face and blinks at the computer screen*). When I hear the word “Passion,” the first image that usually comes to my mind is that of a dancer swinging her hips (and everything else that can be “swung”) to the exciting beats of a drum. While I won’t claim to be a good dancer (notice I said “good” not even “great”…. *laughs*), I really admire those who are. In fact, if you saw me dancing, you would probably beg me to keep my day job! LOL! One particular type of dance that fascinates me is the Atilogwu dance. 

Atilogwu Dancers
Once I get past the mandatory body odor (for real…I don’t know why, but generally, cultural dancers tend to have serious B.O. Please don’t ask me how close I was to catch a whiff of their “deodorant-less” armpits), I have to wonder how the dancers are able to maintain their balance, keep the audience entertained and wowed, while their faces reflect what their bodies are expressing. They are always smiling, and it is not just a shy, reluctant one, but a big, wide one, with their 303 teeth exposed (Okay, I exaggerated! If I met a human being with that number of teeth, I wouldn’t care about their talents or lack thereof. I would “tu danu!” (run for my life) because that is not normal!) 


Another image that comes to my mind is that of beads. My idea of a cultural dancer (the female one at least) includes the wearing of beads as a necessary part of her costume.

Female dancer

It is just like asking me to describe a Nigerian lawyer; I just have to mention the wig and gown (Why that is still required, beats me!) So where exactly am I going with all this? Okay, here is the “koko” of the matter. Nigerian parents (as are many parents of children from other nationalities) are obsessed with their children going into particular professions. And I don’t need to mention them, because I am sure you already know them, but here are some examples anyway: Law, Medicine, Engineering and Accountancy. Very few parents would tell their children to go and read “Yoruba” or “Geography,” but guess what? (What?!) No thanks to JAMB and other factors, there are students who are studying these courses in the university (or do you know any parent who wants his or her child to grow up to become an Atilogwu dancer?) Now, young adults spend a good amount of time, running into years sometimes, trying to get into a particular faculty (e.g. Faculty of Law) at a particular school (UNN, UNILAG, UI, Ife, etc). The irony is that after getting that coveted degree, some of them do NOT work in that profession. In other words, they eventually go into “business.” And that is the part I do not understand. Let me explain.

It would be foolish for me to say all I have said so far and not mention that the Nigerian job market sucks and that unemployment is a reality for many graduates and that I believe entrepreneurship is the way forward (we need more businesses that will employ more people IN Nigeria). Furthermore, even for those who are employed, there is a lack of passion or drive that is palpable. I look at the Atilogwu dancer and I see passion, but I can’t say the same for the engineer, or doctor or banker or lawyer. Or maybe their own passion is expressed differently. I have many questions that are still unanswered (Welcome to the club, Relentless! That probably describes 99% of Nigerians!), e.g.

If at the end of the day, I will still go into “business” (define business however way you want), or work at a bank, why should I bother spending “X” number of years trying to get into a particular faculty or school? Why not just read Yoruba, for example, and call it a day? (Possible Answer: Well, maybe at the time the person gets admission into the university, he does not know exactly what he or she wants to do career-wise, apart from what parents have drummed into his head since he could breathe. So maybe he needs to spend those 5 or more years acquiring a degree he will NOT use, while trying to figure out his purpose).

I know people who read law and are now make-up artistes or businesswomen making and selling jewelry. And those who read medicine and are now into music. And of course, many more who read Biochemistry, Sociology, Public Administration, English, etc, who now work in banks or are event planners. While I am grateful that they are profitably employed and generating income (because however way you look at it, they are “hustling” and paying bills regardless of their job description), I just still ask myself: Why bother? (*sighs*)

Featured Artiste:  Chudy

I would like to end this blog post by introducing you to Chudy.

Chudy
His song, “Questions” kinda describes how I feel right now (and also reflects the frame of mind I had while writing today’s blog post).  It reminds me of ‘80s music (abi she na ‘70s ni? I don’t know o! Listen and judge for yourself).  Here’s a little bit of information on Chudy:

Artiste’s Stage Name:  Chudy

Artiste’s Real Name: Chudy Ogobegwu (For some reason, I don’t think his parents christened him “Chudy,” but I guess that’s what he wants us to call him)

ReverbNation Pagehttp://www.reverbnation.com/chudy

Featured Song:  Questions

Download Information:  You can download Chudy’s song for FREE on his ReverbNation page.  You can also send him a message via the same medium.

Questions (Audio):




I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.  Happy New Month!!!



Images From: Flickr, ReverbNation, GoodLife

I have igbo twin friends named chudi amd chude, so maybe his real name is chudi and he funkified it to chudy.
I think education is very important, cos when the educated person goes into business, there a stufs called controls that are required in that business, which the yoruba graduate or the uneducated person might not get a grasp of quickly. What I am trying to say is that higher education counts very well, no matter what we end up doing in life. Don't you see all the graduate tailors/fashion designers? Theres is a big difference between their work and that of the uneducated ones. That is because they have something called ANALYTICAL SKILLS. You don't pick that on the road. Lemme just stop here...

You know that saying "there are many ways to skin a cat"? well... there are. Most Nigerian parents are still stuck in the mind frame that you must be a professional to make money, in the 21st century that isn't the case. you might be a rice seller and make more money than a lawyer, you might even employ an accountant to work for you. Education is important, it opens your mind to possibilities, but the end does not often justify the means.

hmmm your post got me thinking..
I agree with @ilola..inasmuch as we think what people study they dont practice, I believe they actually apply 1 or 2 knowledge learned to what they choose to start doing. 

*Taking a very deep bow* THANKS for the shout-out Relentless(one day we shall know thy name). Really really humbled!

LOL ...'tu danu' shey? I can imagine the scenario.

I actually thought of this passion issue a couple of times over.
I think the issue is beyond the average student not knowing what he wants to do but rather a grassroot problem.

The conventional Nigerian parent wants his child to finish Uni and take over the father's business (if he has one) or do a particular course cuz an uncle in the family makes 'big money' from it. It's a cycle that will be hard to break from my analysis over time (more like a culture already).
Nonetheless, from @833b284b6c571e84f2bfc2137ea1a47a 's point of view, higher education gives you an edge in many areas.

The only solution for us is to break the cycle, at least from our end, by letting our children discover what they want to do/passionate about at an early age (even if it's drumming) and give full support whilst still ensuring provision of a high standard of formal education.
*oops! sorry bout the length, had to pour it all out*

mikeylinks

@833b284b6c571e84f2bfc2137ea1a47a:disqus :
Thank you so much for the clarification as per Chudy's real name.  You can't imagine all the "options" I was racking my brain for (ranging from Chukwuemeka to Chukwudi, but none of them fit).  Your explanation seems very plausible, so until Chudy steps up to confirm this, I am assuming his name is really "Chudi" or "Chude." Are your friends identical twins?

I wish you had continued with your analysis because I enjoyed reading it :-) 

But I think you made a very strong point, as per how invaluable analytical skills are and how higher education distinguishes a skilled person from an educated AND skilled person.  I think you also seem to be saying that certain courses are designed to make you think analytically, while others are not so "analysis-intensive." Food for thought...

Thanks for stopping by! 

9jaFoodie:

I like the angle you took to your comment on this post, i.e. wealth creation is not just the preserve of the so-called professionals.  You can make money doing just about anything.  I think we are really just in love with the prestige attached to certain professions, which is reflected in the overwhelming demand for them.  But, there are lawyers, doctors, etc, that are (for lack of a better word) "financially challenged,"  if you know what I mean.  I guess like you said education opens your mind to possibilities, but it does not end there.  That is just the starting point.

Thanks for stopping by!

Unveilinggold:

I am glad this post got you thinking :-) ... I would not have it any other way.

I agree with you as per applying the knowledge learned from whatever you study to what career path you choose.  But doesn't that also mean that it does not matter what you study, as long as you can somehow apply it to whatever you choose to do in life?

Hmm....your comment got me thinking too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Michael:

You're very welcome! The pleasure was all mine.  And yes, one day "we" shall all know my name.  Even I am curious at this point...LOL!

Yes o! "Tu danu" or "fere ge" ... whichever one transports me away from such a person. :))

So you took the root versus branch approach? Interesting.  You're right as per parents grooming their children to take over the family business or copying some uncle who makes money in a particular field.  But, can you really blame them?  How many of us have grandfathers (not fathers o) who were professionals? For the most part, our grandfathers were fishermen, farmers, traders, etc.  Professional careers with respect to Nigerians are fairly recent if you really look at it, because it was introduced with the advent of colonialism and formal education. 

So, are you telling me that you would allow your child become a drummer if he wanted to?  (*looking at you quizzically*) If the answer is yes, then you would be the unconventional Nigerian parent.  Other parents would just disown the child and call him a bastard (pardon my french!) But I get your point, especially with respect to ensuring a high quality of education regardless.

No wahala as per the length of the comment.  As you can see, I myself am long-winded....LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

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